Letter from the President & CEO

Girl Scouts takes girls on a journey to explore the outdoors, participate in hands-on STEM experiments, run a business, while gaining valuable skills and fostering a powerful sisterhood and friendships. We have a track record of championing girls who raise their hand, and then as adults extend it back to support the development of young girls.

There is no organization more capable or more committed to developing the future of change-makers and trailblazers than Girl Scouts. In 2018, our girls were exposed to so many exciting opportunities. Some went to camp to throw tomahawks, spelunk in caves and conquer their fears in the tree tops on our high adventure rope courses. Others sold cookies to finance their travel to Belize, Costa Rica, Iceland, and a few troops went to Puerto Rico to aid sister Girl Scouts in rebuilding their community after the devastation of Hurricane Maria. One of our Girl Scouts even started her own movement to encourage girls to raise their hand in class, to build girls’ confidence.

Our annual report doesn’t just provide facts and figures, it demonstrates that Girl Scouting works. As you turn each page, you will see Girl Scouts throughout our council and how this program has impacted their lives. Girl Scouts is where girls are first, and it’s the reason we remain the best leadership experience for girls. Our emphasis is on girls, and providing them with opportunities to follow their ambitions in a safe all-girl space. We encourage them to actively participate in solving world problems to earn our highest award, the Gold Award. With your support and dedication, we will continue to build girls of courage, confidence and character, who lead from the front.

Throughout this report you will find data from the Girl Scout Research Institute (GSRI) Impact Study 2017. This summary of findings draws on data from a nationally representative sample of Girl Scouts and non- Girl Scouts aged 5-18, and shows that Girl Scouts are more likely than non-Girl Scouts to develop strong leadership outcomes.

From the boardroom to the courtroom and everywhere in between, only Girl Scouts has the experience and program to give girls the tools they will need to become leaders.